Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-03-25
A MUMMY UNWRAPPED.

that Of royal prlcStrsS. secured
by DR.. Lansing. professor m the
Theological Seminary, through the
agency OF his missionary father at
Cairo. was unwrapped the other
day before an audience of about
one hundred guests invited from
the city aud vicinity. From the
inscriptions on the mummy case,
as explained by Dr. Lansing tins
priestess must have been Of high
rank. and have been e'o balmed IN
the time Of Moses, or about 400
years b. c., which would make
nearly 5000 years as the period OF
her preservation. The double
crown Of Upper and Lower Egypt
was on either side Of the coffin, and
besides these was the picture OF the
hawk. headed deity, surmounted by
the suns disk, thus indicating that
the remains once belonged to a per
son of the royal line. And a small
white tablet found with the mummy
told the same story. Sometimes
there are found articles of great IN
terests within the wrappings-such
as necklaces, mirrors, caskets con-
tanning cosmetics. Scarabgl, espec-
tally a papyrus roll containing por-
tions of or even the whole Book Of
the Dead. And it was hoped on
or more OF these things might be
discovered on this occasion. But
nothing was found. Perhaps the
Book of the Dead had been depOs-
tied, as was some times done, in the
lar that held the intestines-i0r, IN
the process OF embalming, the in
testncs. the heart and liver were
removed from the body and pre-
served in separate vessels. Al
though there was some diSappOint-
ment because no "fni' was made,
vet there was no lack Of interest,
In fact the attention was during a
part of the time almost painfully
alert whilst the bandages were be
inc removed. Toe outer strips were
here ami there in excellent c0ndi'
ton: but ~ the body was approach
ed they were rotten and brittle, and
fairly embedded in bitumcn and
other preservation materials. The
hands were found crossed upon the
breast, the teeth and finger nails
perfect, the flesh absorbed, leaving
/ the skin drawn closely over the
bones. The height was about hVt
feet, and specific appearances show
ed the figure to have been that OI
female, aged perhaps sixty ol
sixty-fve years. The most inter
cstlng feature about these mum
mics Is that they reveal the belle
OF Egyptians IN the resurrection o
the body. They held that after
three thousand years the soul wonlo
return and rcunitc itself to the body
in CASE the body were still in cxls
tcnce. Hence they endeavored by
their rock.cut tombs and pyramids
and by their processes of embalm
ing to guard the body against th'
violence of man and the decay o
nature. Where did they get tins
doctrine Of the body's resurrection
/ II would seem that the heather
however enlightened and philoSoph
ical. we're without the least faith II
this doctrine. On the other hand
they thought it absurd aud impoSsI
BILE. Socrates held firmly enongl
to the Immortality Of the soul, bn
not at all to the resurrection OF the
body. And so the stOics and epi
cnreans and other philosopher
listened respectfully to Paul a
Athens until he maintained th
resurrection OF the body, when the
began to mock. The very concep
ton Of such thing seemed to then
a fit subject for ridicule. And thu
it might be shown in detail tina
this doctrine was, with the eXcep
ton of the Egyptians, peculiar L
the Hebrews to whom God had i'm
mediately revealed it. Perhaps
passed from the Hebrews to In
Egyptians. However this may be
it is at any rate Il pleasing AS we
AZ significant fact that thlspIcclou
Christian truth in regard to tn
bod,'s restoration to life was =
earnestly and deyoutly held at tina
early day.